subject: The history of home entertainment over the years [print this page] The history of home entertainment over the years
It's strange to ponder about what people did with their minds and hands before we had home computers, video game consoles and other formats of electronic entertainment. Human hands seem to be perfectly contoured to fit joysticks and mice -- or perhaps the other way around?
Home entertainment has changed dramatically with both the computer and video game industries. Now, those are two industries that are rapidly becoming one thing.
Have you heard of the Magnavox Odyssey? It was the first widely-released game console, introduced in 1972. But it was a few more years before a bouncing-ball game called Pong caused the world to fall in love with video games and took Atari to the top of the home gaming market.
In 1977, home computers started appearing, and soon, primitive computers for example the Commodore 64 and the Tandy Color Computer began competing with game consoles for the time and money of tech-savvy consumers. While some homes had both a computer and a game console, this was rare. Both these items were expensive, and consumers had to choose between the versatility of a home computer and the superior controllers and graphics of xbox 360 console.
Before long, names like RCA, Intellivision and Nintendo came into the video game market while Apple, IBM and an array of clones took over home computing. Speed and graphics quality improved on video game systems and personal computers, and new game introductions would temporarily put one company ahead of another until yet another new development changed the industry once again.
Home computers reached prominence in the late 1990s, when many homes had at least 1 computer, and they have shown no signs of decline. Game consoles haven't reached that level of growth, but they continue to gain in popularity in spite of brief blips in the market.
For several years game consoles depended on joysticks and computers depended on mice and occasional touch pads and trackballs. However, in 2006 the Nintendo Wii was introduced, marking the beginning of games with no physical controls. Game console makers have also added Internet connections and the ability to surf the web to their consoles, eliminating the need for a computer in house holds where computers aren't needed for business applications.
As well as video games that sense movement and don't require controllers, the future also holds further integration between television, gaming, the Internet and home computers.
Before long one inexpensive device connected into a high-tech, wall-mounted monitor will provide users with a total entertainment experience. In fact, some televisions coming on the market very soon will provide almost every gaming alternative gamers can think of -- and they're equipped for ones that designers have not even thought of as yet.
But don't get concerned. Retro will always be in, too. Pong is still available for most gaming formats -- and still selling like it's 1975.
Please go to xbox 360 console for more information.
